Summary: This sermon is part of a series dealing with our church mission statement. LOVE like Christ. the O=Open hearts and minds for outreach.

As I was in line this week to buy 2 ct stamps reminded of story yrs ago city of Pittsburgh build a large, multi-million $$ post office at grand opening, Gov made speech, bands played and people cheered. It was quite a celebration.

But when 1st man entered to mail a letter, to embarrassment of engineers, discovered that in rush to meet the deadline, they had omitted usual letter drop.

Here was a costly new post office, w\no place to mail a letter! Remember your purpose

We are in midst of series around church mission statement

Why are we here, TBC exists “To Love like Christ”

Last week Learning and growing

having Open hearts and minds

But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; Vs 15 NRSV

Paul Little "How to Give Away Your Faith"

"Witnessing is that deep-seated conviction that the greatest favor I can do for others is to introduce them to Jesus Christ."

1. Stir up A PASSION FOR SHARING THE GOOD NEWS

Not just interest, inclination or desire but passion

We can be passionate about a lot of things

Came to Ky college basketball is big thing

Elton Trueblood, Quaker scholar, compared evangelism to fire. Evangelism occurs, when Christians are so ignited by their contact w\Christ in turn set other fires. It’s easy to determine when something is aflame. It ignites other material.

Any fire that does not spread will eventually go out.

A church w\out evangelism is a contradiction in terms,

Evangelism not what we tell people, unless what tell is totally consistent w\who we are. Who we are going to make diff.

If we do not truly enjoy our faith, nobody is going to catch fire of enjoyment from us. Madeleine L’Engle, quoted in Christian Reader (May/June 1998, p. 50)]

Passion comes because WE HEAR GOD CALLING OUR NAME

Knows everything about us,

Mt 10:30 God has counted # of hairs on your head

Saw you in every moment of your life, knows you

Better than you know you

Are we really passionate ABOUT GOD’S LOVE FOR US

In Ky 80% of people not in church today are not unchurched

But dechurched means in last 5 yrs been to church

Found it irrelevant, not worth getting up for

George Barna study people to used single words to describe Jesus. "wise, accepting, compassionate, gracious, humble." Of Christians, "critical, exclusive, self righteous, narrow

and repressive."

There is a difference between knowing the good news & being the good news, We are the evidence!